My favorite group of images downloaded from the now defunctVisual Images Database of the USACE Mississippi Valley Division.

All of which begs the creation of an Artist-in-Residence Program at the Army Corps of Engineers. Imagine what hydrological labyrinths would Mary Miss have constructed. Or what cryptographic alluvial hagiography of the Mississippi would Robert Smithson have written; the encryption key is in the meanders. Michael Heizer in coitus at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory meets John Deer meets ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik. And perhaps Cai Guo-Qiang in collaboration with Naoya Hatakeyama might be permitted the use of a small nuclear warhead.

Trevi: It's a point that you are well aware of I'm sure, but your series of "what if?"s touched a nerve with me. These elements of the cultural landscape, this infrastructure, is not in need of star power for its edification. It is already amazing and its anonymous/collective/institutional provenance is an an inherent factor of its appeal. If it were a Michael Heizer project, we would not be allowed to see it and we would be shot if we got too close (but have you tried to visit a dam since 9/11?...Nevermind, I guess.)